Filling a Full Hova-Bator with Egg Turner

[Pine Grove]

I couldn't agree more silkie, I run big incubaters and I never check the humidity, I do however candle often to check for correct evaporation. I'm in South GA and I very seldom have to add any water at all except near the end..and to rwcmick why cant you just remove an egg and pour water through the hole?

 

[silkiechicken]

It is up to you but I would just let it ride and let it go run dry for a few days. Candle them at about day 7 and see if a good air cell is developing. If not, let it go dry a few more days. I don't monitor my humidity and my hatches so far have been fine... 100% hatches out of three batches of two silkie eggs actually but I put them in real fresh.

I don't follow the rules at at all. I keep all the entire bottom tray filled with water for the first 10 days or so and then let it dry out completely for the last 10 or so days. I don't up the humidity at the end and they pop out just fine.... they dry off very quickly and there is no water and stinky liquid mess to clean up.

 

[MandyH]

I run big incubators and hatchers and I keep a pan of water in both but just to give them SOME humidity. I do not monitor them eally and I hatch hundreds of birds every 21 days no problem. If I DO have one having trouble getting out, I wet a towel and throw it in the bottom for extra moisture. If you try to keep it where it says you will work yourself to death. When I had a little styrofoam incubator all I had to do to make the humidity drop was cover part of the channel with tin foil. Humidity is from the SURFACE AREA of water, not the depth. The more surface area of water the more humidity, the less water surface the less humidity, so covering half of the channel with tin foil will make it drop. Hope that helps.

 

[rwcmick]

thank for the advice. i think i will stick it out for now. there are so many eggs in there that i'm afraid if i take them all out, remove the turner and the grate and cover up some of the channel there will be too much time out of the heat of the incubator. i generally tend to worry and fiddle over things too much as it is, usually with worse results than if i had left it alone.

i'll candle them at 7 days and see what i've got.

 

[silkiechicken]

Don't worry so much about them cooling down. I have hatched eggs that sat out a few hours with no problems. Be sure to use a high powered flashlight when candling to see them at day 7, especially if this is your first time and you have dark shelled eggs. When you check at day 18 you will be able to tell for sure who is good and not. I would take a deep breath, and let them do their thing.

It will all be ok!